The Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings engaged in a bizarre game Sunday afternoon.
Each team had exactly one drive in the first quarter, but the score was 7-0 as the second quarter began.
The Browns finally got on the board before halftime following an 18-play drive, and went up 8-7 thanks to a series of penalties by the Vikings.
It what seemed like a back-and-forth battle, only two more Browns field goals would be scored then on.
What fans can take away from this game is the fact the Browns can win ugly, and that is just fine.
A Tough One To Watch
Baker Mayfield did just not have it Sunday.
Baker Mayfield: Own it, address it, move on.
Seems like that’s what he’s doing. #Browns
— Hayden Grove (@H_Grove) October 3, 2021
He was missing throws, most notably to Odell Beckham Jr., and was avoiding easy passes in favor of tucking it and running.
Mayfield finished 15/33 on the day with 155 yards and no touchdowns.
But that is just fine as long as Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt save the day.
The pair did just that.
Chubb ran for exactly 100 yards on 21 carries and Hunt added 69 of his own on only 14 runs.
The latter had one of the biggest plays of the day as well when he ran for 33 yards at a time when the Browns were just trying to run clock and go into halftime.
The Vikings defense totally collapsed and the Browns were able to head into the locker room following a 48-yard field goal from Chase McLaughlin.
The duo continued to play well in the second half and a win is still a win.
Defense Can Save The Day
The Browns defense took a ton of criticism through the first two weeks.
After the opening drive, Kirk Cousins was pressured 15 times on 34 dropbacks the rest of the game. He went 2-of-13 with ZERO passing yards when pressured. #Browns @ESPNStatsInfo
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) October 3, 2021
Since then, the unit has pitched back-to-back single-digit games.
Doing that against a rookie in Justin Fields was one thing.
But holding a veteran like Kirk Cousins to seven points after his Vikings dropped 30 points on the Seattle Seahawks is a statement.
Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney continue to be unstoppable on the edges and Greedy Williams even finished with an interception in his return to a primary role.
The Vikings even gave up on running the ball as Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison finished with a combined 19 carries for 54 yards.
While so much focus goes to the offense struggling, this game was truly won by the defense.
It appears defensive coordinator Joe Woods can stop hearing calls for him to be fired by fans on social media.
Browns fans will now wait to see what kind of team shows up next week against the Los Angeles Chargers.
If Mayfield plays like he did in Minnesota, the Chargers may just be too tough for the defense to hold off all day long.
NEXT: Browns Prove Running The Ball Works In Win Over Bears
